Seafire Seatbelts?

[Modler bob]

Shizuoka? Is that in Japan?

[rtfoe]

Shizuoka? Is that in Japan?

Yes...home of Tamiya, Hasegawa and Fujimi...but I found more hobby shops in Akihabara, Tokyo.

Cheers,
Richard

[Modler bob]

Japan is on my bucket list :thumb2:
Judging by your avatar you're a forces man Richard?

[rtfoe]

Japan is on my bucket list :thumb2:
Judging by your avatar you're a forces man Richard?

Dad was...I just happen to have these helmets in my collection.
If you're adventurous then Japan is a nice place for a visit. The culture is so unique and rules are followed to the T. You'll feel awkward if you don't line up at the train station or anywhere else.
Everywhere you'll see vending machines.

Cheers,
Richard

[Tim Marlow]

Japan is wonderful. Everything is clean, and it just works! I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a great place to visit. The only problem we had was that everything was (obviously) signed in Kanji, which was pretty much unintelligible to us. We therefore became illiterate for the duration of our stay . Restaurant menus were fine, everything being illustrated in the restaurant window by model food, and all the menus used pictures. However, try using a tube system if you can‘t identify the line you need or even the station you are supposed to go to from the tube map on the ticket vending machine. We had that problem after travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto, which was much less international in nature. The problem was solved for us by a very kind couple recognising our dilemma and guiding us from Kyoto rail station literally to our hotel door by travelling with us on the tube, then walking the route with us, before starting their own journey in a different direction.

[stillp]

I found that to be typical of the helpful nature of the Japanese Tim. After a couple of days I managed to identify the tube lines, and finding the right stop is a matter of counting the stations from where you are to where you're going. When they had ticket collectors at the stations I would just buy the cheapest ticket, then hand it in at the destination along with a handful of change as you could trust the ticket collector to take exactly the right amount. Not so easy with the machines now though. Another great thing about Japan is the absence of tipping, a great relief after the USA.
I was showing at an exhibition in Kobe once, the organisers provided an interpreter for each exhibitor. Mine was a youngish female, who was also a registered tour guide for the temples and shrines of Kyoto and Nara - guess where the weekend was spent!
Pete

[Tim Marlow]

One thing that really stuck with me was the respect with which baggage was treated at the airport. There was a member of staff posted at the baggage chutes simply to make sure the bags were orientated properly on the belts. He caught the bags as they came from the checking desks, picked them up, orientated them correctly, and laid them gently down so they would traverse the loading belts without catching. I swear Heathrow and Gatwick just play football with them :angry:

[rtfoe]

I had arrived early once at the station and was fascinated at the platform and train conductors hand signals for every train that passed. And I checked the arrival of all the trains against the station clock and not one was over a second late.

[Tim Marlow]

I had arrived early once at the station and was fascinated at the platform and train conductors hand signals for every train that passed. And I checked the arrival of all the trains against the station clock and not one was over a second late.

Ah, that’s what the train waving guy (as my daughter called him) was doing…..
I was fascinated that all railway staff had embroidered job titles on their uniforms…..in English! Apparently it was because the original uniforms came pre labelled from England, and they stuck with the tradition.